UK contributes US$5.2 million to UNDP's stabilization in Iraq

Jul 17, 2017

Workers put a final coat of paint on the walls around a set of filtering tanks at Mosul's Al Qasoor Water Treatment Plant on July 13, 2017. The rehabilitation of this key water treatment plant is one of more than 300 stabilization projects already underway in Mosul. Photo: Alex Potter/UNDP Iraq/2017

Baghdad – The Government of the UK has contributed an additional US$5.2 million to UNDP’s Funding Facility for Stabilization (FFS), which finances fast-track initiatives in areas liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). This brings the UK’s total contribution to FFS to US$15 million to date.

Based on priorities identified by the Government of Iraq and local authorities, FFS helps quickly repair public infrastructure, provides grants to small businesses, boosts the capacity of local government, promotes civil engagement and community reconciliation, and provides short-term employment through public works schemes.

UNDP Resident Representative for Iraq, Ms. Lise Grande, said “The level of destruction in western Mosul is the worst in Iraq. Thirty-eight neighbourhoods have been impacted—15 are nearly destroyed. More than 300 stabilization projects are already underway in Mosul, including close to 70 in western Mosul, but this is only a start. There’s a huge amount of work to do and it needs to be done quickly.”

A spokesperson for the British Embassy in Iraq said: “The courage and commitment of the Iraqi people and the Iraqi Security Forces has been critical to defeating Daesh in Mosul. Now we must turn to the urgent political, economic and humanitarian challenges that lie ahead. This further contribution to UNDP's Funding Facility for Stabilization demonstrates that the UK will continue to support Iraq on the path to recovery.”

Established in June 2015, FFS is working in newly liberated areas in Anbar, Salah al-Din, Ninewah, Diyala and Kirkuk Governorates. More than 1,100 projects are completed or being implemented across 23 locations. Since the start of the crisis, over 2 million people have returned to their homes.